Back online

I’m back but not without some problems!I’m back online using my own PC rather than the office dial-up for emergencies. But why does it have to be so difficult?As I’ve been ill I decided to order a wireless router from Amazon to replace the cable that had snapped. Simple – I found what I wanted router and USB connector boxed together for £75 plus postage, and sat back and waited for it to arrive. Nothing by Saturday morning,so I checked my Amazon account. It seems that the credit card details they held were out of date. However, you aren’t told this when you make the order, they send an email later. Which would be OK ,if I wasn’t offline and had no idea there was a problem.

Bloody PC WorldSo, I need to get this set up before I have to go back to work, but no problem, PC World have a special offer in-store on a router +connection – £60 instead of £80. It’s a drive to Cambridge, but I’m feeling a lot better. I get to PC World and all they have are pre-owned units. Now I don’t want something that someone has tried to set-up, failed and then returned to the shop – but they don’t have new units in store. The terribly nice young man could only offer me a router , at the same price, plus a separate USB connector for a further £20, or if I wanted what I had tried to get from Amazon I could have that – as separate units for £100!!!!!!!!!As I was leaving , grumping over the waste of time and petrol, I spotted a display of cables and bought a replacement USB cable for £22. It means there is still a cable trailing across the landing from the bedroom phone point into the office ,but I can live with that – until all the cable shifting pops a wire again.

RecoveryFor the last two weeks I have been “dealing with” a respiratory infection ( or possibly a virus the GP isn’t sure). During the that time I have consumed one course of antibiotics, 14 antihistamines, 5 cold and flu treatments, one and a half bottles of cough mixture and assorted throat lozenges. That’s the joys of a virus in a non-specific part of the respiratory tract – you can try as many medicines as you like, but none of them will cure you the way rest will. I’m still coughing, just not all the time and I don’t sound like Rula Lenska anymore. The only benefit is that I’ve managed to read 7 books.